Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has conceded the election and has called center-right challenger Peter Magyar to congratulate him on his victory on Sunday after partial results put his Tisza party on course for a parliamentary supermajority.
"The election results are not final yet, but the situation is understandable and clear," said Orban. "The election result is painful for us, but clear."
The responsibility and possibility of governing was not given to us," continued Orban. "I have congratulated the winner."
"We will serve our nation from the opposition," added Orban.
"Our task is clear, so our job is to strengthen our communities," said Orban, "We will never give up."
Preliminary results, with 53.45% of the vote counted, projected Magyar's Tisza party to win 136 seats in Hungary's 199-member parliament, compared with 56 seats for Orban's Fidesz.
Voting in the election for the 199-seat parliament started at 7 a.m. Israel time and closed at 8 p.m.
Israel, European leaders react to Magyar's victory
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar congratulated Magyar and Tisza for the victory, calling for "continuing working together on further strengthening the good relations between our two countries and expanding our cooperation in different fields of mutual interests."
He also thanked Orban and his government for their pro-Israel stance, saying that they showed "friendship and steady support of Israel and Jewish life in challenging times."
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday hailed the landslide election victory of the Hungarian opposition party Tisza as a step by the country towards Europe.
"Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight," von der Leyen said in a post on X/Twitter. "Hungary has chosen Europe. A country reclaims its European path. The Union grows stronger."
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that he had spoken to Magyar to congratulate him on his election victory.
"I’ve just spoken with Peter Magyar to congratulate him on his victory in Hungary!" wrote Macron on X/Twitter.
"France welcomes what has been a victory in terms of people taking part in the democratic process, and a victory which shows the attachment of the Hungarian people to the values of the European Union and for Hungary's role in Europe," added Macron.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also congratulated Magyar, saying he "looks forward to cooperation for a strong, safe, united Europe."
A landmark election
Orban, a eurosceptic nationalist, has carved out a model of an "illiberal democracy" seen as a blueprint by US President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and its admirers in Europe.
But many Hungarians have grown increasingly weary of Orban, 62, after three years of economic stagnation and soaring living costs, as well as reports of oligarchs close to the government amassing more wealth.
"I think we need a change in the country," said Mihaly Bacsi, 27, after casting his vote for Tisza in a Budapest polling station. "We need an improvement in public mood; we are full of tensions in many areas, and the current government only fuels these sentiments."
Orban had cast the election as a choice between "war and peace." During campaigning, the government blanketed the country with signs warning that Tisza leader Magyar would drag Hungary into Russia's war with Ukraine, something he strongly denies.